Track for dog racing and the like



Get. 8, 1929. J. A. McKEE I 1,730,519

TRACK FOR DOG RACING AND THE LIKE Filed July 50, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l -"""',',mr"'4w" 1111111111111111/ (/w/ -%"1% Mmr I PM Wilma/vex Oct. 8, 1929. .1. A. M KEE TRACK FOR DOG RACING AND THE LIKE Filed July 30, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 8, 1929 TRACK FOR DOG RACING AND THE LIKE Application filed July so, 1928, serial No. 296,204, and in Great Britain September 22, 1927.

track for the dogs to follow and withdrawn v from the course, or track, at the end of the race, before the dogs can reach the lure and while they are still chasing the lure at full speed. At present it is usual to carry the artificial lure round, or along the track by a wheeled car, or Wheeled bogie running on rails above the ground and under cover. with an armextending out from the covered railway and supporting the lure which ma or may not, run on an additional rail, or railway. The present arrangements are complicated, costly to make and costly to run and dangerous to the dogs and the object of the present invention is to provide a more simple and more economical arrangement.

According to this invention the'artificial lure is carried round, or along a track by a cable of wire rope, or other suitable material, or a trolley; in either case suitably driven and running below the ground, or track level, the artificial lure running on ground, or track level and preferably provided with means for engaging and disengaging the 7 cable or trolley, so that the lure can be-carried along and released when required.

The lure would preferably be made to disappear into a suitable covert, or housing. arranged above the level of the traclrand in either case means would be provided tojrelease the lure from the cable or trolley when it enters the covert, or housing, and for al'-' lowing it to re-engage with the. cable or trolley beyond the position where the cable isgiven its drive, such reengagement being preferably under control so that the lure can 40 be either allowed to pass out again on to the track, or kept in the covert, or housing, as

required.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings whereon there is shown, by way of example only, an arrangement of a cable drive for an artificial lure for a dog racing track.

Fig. 1 illustrates diagrammatically the 5 plan of a track and shows the shape of the line e e, Fig. 2.

path round whichthe cable has to be operated. v I

Fig. 2 is an elevation showing a portion of the cable wherethe driving of the cable is elfected and also showingthe means for releasing the lure from engagement with the cable while the latter isinterrupted in its.

path for the drive to be effected. This View also shows means for keeping thelure out of engagement with the cable when it is re quired to stop the lure. I

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional elevation'on the v 4 is across sectional elevation on the line l4, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the lure'carrier and showing the gripper whereby the lure can be connected with the cable and disconnected therefrom when required.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the lure carrier and a section of the casing, or housing, which also forms a rail on which the lure carrier can run. 1

Referring to the drawings In the example of carrying out the invention as shown on the drawings, the lure carrying cable 1 is moved round a circuitous track as shown in the diagrammatic view, Fig. 1. The cable 1 for carrying the artificial lure 2 round the track is sunk in a casing, or housing 8,the cable 1 being sunk below the level of the track and provided with suitable cable supporting rollers at convenient intervals and especially at the curves. An opening 3 is provided at the top of thecable housing 3, which top preferably, as shown, forms a running rail for rollers 2 on which the artificial lure 2 is supported. The rollers 2 areshown flanged so as to enter the opening 3 of the cable housing, the rollers 2 being connect-1 ed with a cable gripper 4 comprising two jaws .4 and 49 turnably supported and having each a groove therein so that when the jaws are brought close together, they grip on the cable l'being forced against the cable by torsion springs 4, the springs being so made and arranged that normally the gripper jaws 4 and 4 will take an effective grip of. the

determined positions, for example, at the position where the cable 1 is interrupted to effeet the drive thereon The interruption of the continuous path of the cable is shown clearly at Fig. 2, where it will be seen that the cable 1, driven from a driving shaft 5, passes round atensioning jockey pulley '6 and guide pulleys 7 and 8, before returning to its path,

*the interruption of the path being from the 1 passed the cams 11 it will, normally, re-engage with the cable 1 at the point 12 so that the lure would continuefto be carried round the track with almost no interruption of its speed. Should however, it be desired to bring the lure to a stand-still, a cam bar 18 can be brought into line with the cam bars 11 so as to 7 from the view of the dogs.

maintain the jaws 4 and 4? of the gripper open and outof engagementwith the cable for suflicient distance to allow the lure to come to rest. Preferably the lure would come to rest within a suitable hous-' ing, or covert. lie-engagement of the lure 2 with the cable 1 would preferably be under control from a control tower, or observation box 14,-, suitable connections being provided between the box 1 1 and the movable cam bar 18 for this purpose andso that the lure can be engaged with the cable 1 after pasing the driving position. The housing, or covert, into which the lure may be brought immediately after passing the driving position, is shown by the dotted lines 15 in Fig. 2. This housing 15 may be adapted to be lifted up to allow the lure and the dogs unobstructed passage for any circuit, or circuits, but capable of being dropped into position on the track when it is desired that the lure 2 should bebrought torest therein and thus caused to disappear he raising and lowering of the covert or housing 15 would preferably be controlled from the control box, or tower 14c. The raising of the covert or housing 15 may be coincident with the rcen-' gagement of the lure 2 with the cable 1. The lure 2 may simply disappear into a housing througha suitable door and be released therefrom through a suitable door. The doors may be covered with some suitable soft mate- 1 rial to prevent any possible ury to a dog.

Theartificial lure 2 carried round or along a track by acable 1 is described, can have the the carryingof an artificial lure round a race I track.-

the top thereof, a cable running through said housing around the track,.an;artificial lure, gripper means, means extending through said slot so as to connect said lureand gripper means, driving means whereby said cable is put and kept in motion around the track, and means whereby said gripper means is caused to engage with or be disengaged from said cable automatically.

2. Apparatus for use in dog racing comprising the combination of a track for the dogs, a cable laid out beneath the said track,

an artificial lure, driving means whereby said .1

cable is put and kept in motion around the track, gripper means, means connecting sald lure and gripper means, spring means where by said gripper means 1s caused to engage with said cable, and trip means whereby said cable and gripper means are disengaged.

.3. Apparatus forces in dog racing comprising the combination of a track for the dogs, a tubular housing laid out beneath said track and having a longitudinal slot along the top thereof, acable running through said housing around the track, an artificial lure,-a roller carriage having for its running rail the top of said housing, means securing said lure on said carriage, means extending through said slot so as to connect said carriage to the cable, and driving means whereby said cable is put and kept in motion around the track.

4. Apparatus for use in dog racing com prising the combination of a track for the dogs, a cable laid out beneath the said track, an artificial lure, driving means whereby said cable is put and kept in .motion around the track, gripper means, means connectingsaid lure anc gripper means, springmeans whereby said gripper means is caused to engage with said cable, trip means adapted to disengage sald gripper means from said cable,

and means whereby said trip means can be moved out of the way of said gripper means so as not to disengage said gripper means from said. cable.

5. Apparatus for use in-dog racing comprising the combination of a track for the dogs, a cable laid out beneath the said track,

an artificial lure, driving means for said cable disposed out of the path of thecable around the track, gripper means adapted to, grlp sald cable, means connecting said lure the top thereof, a cable running through said housing around the track, an artificial hire, a roller carriage having for its running rail the top of said housing, means securing said lure on said carriage, means extending through said slot so as to connect said carriage to the cable, driving means for said cable disposed out of the path of the cable, and

means whereby said carriage is disengaged means whereby said gripper means is caused to engage with said cable, trip means in the path of said gripper means where the path of said cable is interrupted to effect the drive, additional trip means in the path of'said gripper means at a point in the path of the cable around the track, and means whereby said additional trip means can be moved at will out of the way of said gripper means so as not to disengage said gripper means from said cable.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. 1

JAMES ALEXANDER MCKEE.

where the path of the cable is interrupted to 1 eflect the drive and then re-engaged automatically.

7. Apparatus for use in dog racing comprising the combination of a track for the dogs, a tubular housing laid out beneath said track and having a longitudinal slot along the top thereof, a cable running through said housing around the track, an artificial lure, a roller carriage having for its running rail the top of said housing, means securing said lure on said carriage, gripper means adapted to grip said cable, means extending through said slot so as to connect said lure and gripper means, driving means for said cable disposed out of the path of the cable around the track, trip bars in the path of said gripper means adapted to disengage said gripper means where the path of the cable is interrupted to efiect the drive, and torsion spring means whereby said gripper means is thereafter re-engaged with the cable automatically. V V

8. Apparatus for use in dog racing comprising the combination of a track for the dogs, a cable laid out beneath the said track, an artificial lure, driving means for said cable disposed out of the path of the cable, means connecting said lure to the cable, means whereby said lure is disengaged Where the path of the cable is interrupted to efiect the drive and then re-engaged automatically, means whereby said lure can be disengaged from said cable in the course of the path thereof around the track, and means whereby said last mentioned means can be rendered inoperative so as not to disengage the lure from the cable.

9. Apparatus for use in dog racing comprising the combination or" a track for the dogs, a cable laid out beneath the said track,

an artificial lure, driving means for said cable disposed out of the path of the cable, gripper means adapted to grip said cable, means connectin said lure and ri er means s rin V t 7 b 

